– Even in broad daylight they can come and steal from us. It’s disgusting to think about, says Karl Emil Rosnæs. Twice the vegetable farmer in Rygge has had GPS devices stolen. The thieves have broken into a tractor on his farm. Rosnæs estimates that the equipment had a value of over NOK 200,000. – They are a lot of money. In addition, you feel unsafe on your own property when there are people walking around who do not want you well. This is what the GPS screen of the vegetable farmer looks like. A similar one was stolen from him in January this year. Then the cable to the screen was cut and torn apart. Photo: private In the last few weeks alone, there have been at least 17 GPS thefts in Østfold and Follo. Last night on Monday, valuable GPS devices were stolen from two excavators in Sarpsborg. – Just around a radius of 4 kilometers from where I live, there have been at least six thefts. There will be millions of these over time, says Rosnæs. Worth several hundred thousand According to the police, the thieves appear very targeted. They usually go after GPSs in tractors. Police station chief Olav Unnestad in Indre Østfold believes that it is probably mobile profit criminals who are wreaking havoc in the district. – We have had four thefts in Indre Østfold police station’s district. Down towards Nedre Glomma, around Fredrikstad and Råde, there have been relatively many, says Unnestad. Karl Emil Rosnæs on the farm in Rygge would prefer to have the tractor within his field of vision, to avoid more thefts. Photo: private On the night of Sunday last week, thieves broke into three tractors on one and the same farm at Elingaard in Fredrikstad. The GPS had a total value of NOK 300,000. GPS and equipment worth over NOK 250,000 were also stolen from the neighboring farm of the vegetable farmer in Rygge a short time ago. – We are talking about several individual cases. In total, it will be a large amount, says Unnestad. Demanding investigation No one is currently suspected or arrested in the cases. Unnestad says that the police have secured many technical traces which have been submitted for further technical investigations. Police station chief in Indre Østfold Olav Unnestad says that they are working on a theory that it is mobile profit criminals who are behind the GPS thefts. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen/news If mobile profit criminals are behind it, there is a good possibility that the GPS may have already crossed the border out of Norway. – It may be a possibility, but we have conducted investigations against similar environments in the past, so it is by no means hopeless. But we should not deny that it is a demanding investigation, he says. Escalated in the last two years According to the leader of Østfold farmers’ association, Ole Kristian Bergerud, the thefts have escalated in the last two years. He calls the development a major challenge. – We see that thefts have increased in the last two or three years, as we adopt more new technology. It is worrying because the equipment disappears when you use it, says Bergerud. Leader of Østfold farmers association Ole Kristian Bergerud says GPS theft is becoming a challenge for many farmers. He recommends those who can keep the tractors locked indoors. Photo: Stein Ove Korneliussen/news With a GPS, a farmer can monitor and correct his driving pattern, and keep the right distances. This makes it much easier to avoid overlap. – We are getting faster and more precise with GPS. This leads to less use of fuel, and better utilization of fertiliser, seeds and pesticides. Vegetable farmer Karl Emil Rosnæs has taken measures to avoid more thefts. When he is not near the tractor, he removes what he can of valuable equipment. – It’s a bit of a hassle. I know examples of their equipment being stolen when they have been in and eating, so I also make sure when we take a lunch break.
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Very many thefts of valuable GPSs – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
